On Saturday, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, instructing them to delete or repost a video of the AAP leader addressing the court on March 28.
The court’s decision came after a petition was filed, alleging a breach of video conferencing rules. This incident occurred while Mr. Kejriwal was in police custody following his arrest in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.
The petition stated that Mrs. Kejriwal, along with social media accounts associated with the AAP and some opposition parties, had disseminated copies of the court proceedings video online. In this video, Mr. Kejriwal delivers an emotional speech, asserting that the Enforcement Directorate was attempting to “crush” his party. He emphasized that no bribes allegedly received by his party had been recovered, despite extensive chargesheets filed by the CBI and ED.
“I was arrested… but no court has proved me guilty. The CBI, or Central Bureau of Investigation, filed 31,000 pages (of chargesheets) and ED filed 25,000. Even if you read them together, the question remains… why have I been arrested?” he questioned the court.
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Mr. Kejriwal also mentioned that statements from approvers, or accused individuals who became government witnesses, seemed coerced into accusing him. “The ED had only one mission – to trap me,” he claimed. “Three statements were given (by one witness)… but the court only saw those that accused me. Why? This is not right.”
The Delhi Chief Minister had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, accused of playing a central role in the alleged liquor policy scam. The federal agency claimed that Mr. Kejriwal’s AAP government accepted bribes in exchange for granting liquor sales licenses, particularly from a ‘South cartel’ involving Telangana lawmaker K Kavitha, daughter of former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, under a new policy with inflated profit margins. These bribes, amounting to at least ₹100 crore according to the ED, were allegedly used to fund the AAP’s election campaigns in Goa and Punjab.
Mr. Kejriwal spent over 50 days in jail, a period marked by conflicting claims about his health from the AAP, the opposition BJP, jail officials, and the ED. The Chief Minister, who is diabetic, alleged he was being denied insulin, a vital medication. However, the federal agency countered that Mr. Kejriwal had manipulated his sugar levels to seek bail on medical grounds and opposed his requests for a doctor’s consultation.
Eventually, the Supreme Court granted Mr. Kejriwal interim bail, noting that he should not be hindered from campaigning for his party during a national election. During his imprisonment, his wife, along with senior leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, became prominent figures in the party. Mrs. Kejriwal even delivered a passionate speech at a political rally attended by members of the Congress-led INDIA bloc, of which the AAP is a member.
